Ireland’s game interrupted twice by Gaza protests

On Thursday, a UEFA Nations League football match between the Republic of Ireland and Austria was twice disrupted by demonstrations supporting Palestine in Dublin. The first interruption occurred in the 19th minute when spectators tossed tennis balls bearing Palestinian flag stickers onto the field. The players paused momentarily before the match continued. In the 35th minute, a man stormed onto the pitch carrying a Palestinian flag, causing another brief halt to proceedings. Ultimately, the game concluded with a 2-2 draw.

These incidents follow a contentious match between Ireland and Israel on Sunday, which took place in Hungary amid a vacant stadium. After extensive deliberations regarding a boycott in protest of the Gaza war, the Irish players ultimately agreed to field a team, donning black armbands and refusing to shake hands or exchange pennants with their Israeli counterparts prior to kickoff.

The subsequent return leg is slated for Sunday, again in Serbia, as the Irish Football Association deemed hosting the match domestically too contentious.

On Thursday evening, approximately 200 protesters gathered outside the Dublin Arena to voice their objection to the scheduled games against Israel, under the banner of "Stop the Game." Protesting teacher Joanne Doyle condemned the matches as a form of "sports-washing" on behalf of a "genocide," emphasizing that "sports are political."

Fellow protester and engineer Mark Coomey echoed these sentiments, stating that Ireland should not be "playing ball with genocide." Ireland, alongside Spain and Norway, recognized a Palestinian state in 2024 and has consistently criticized Israel's actions in Gaza.